Size and looks, amazing sound for the price and size.

Mid bass probably, as the small cone is crossed over at 90 hz but what does anyone expect for the size and price?

Wow I really like these speakers. I got some in the other night and had the opportunity to play with them for a while and even took them to a large Mansion that is considering using something like them for invisible background music. I used the Encore 8 sub at Energy's suggestion and compared to a Velodyne 15" CT-150 it did a good job. I couldn't believe that deep clean bass was coming from a little 8" $550 sub. I really enjoyed it and would highly reccomend it to anyone who is tight on budget and or space.

If I was going to get a sub/sat system, and I probably will for my bedroom someday I will most probably go with an Energy system.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RM 7500, 6500, 6600, Bose AM 3, 6, 10, 15, Harman Kardon HKTS1, Infinity HTS1, JBL ES550, Monitor audio Baby Boomer

Compact size, big sound, excellent for home theater

slight midrange gap

I got the Take 5 and an eXL:10 just over a month ago. I have to admit that when I first set them up, I was disappointed with their sound. However, after playing them several hours a day for the following couple weeks, they really warmed up. I set the sub crossover at 100Hz and played with the room placement until the midrange gap was minimized. I think if you set the sub crossover high and place it properly in the room, that midrange hole is almost eliminated (or at least dramatically diminished). As for music, they may not be audiophile quality but they do sound good. They have a very big soundstage and the bass from the sub seems to be pretty tight. The best use of these speakers is in home theater however. I'm only running Pro-logic (H/K AVR10) right now and it sounds way better than the Infinity speaker set I had before. The sound seems to envelope you, making you feel like you're right there in the movie. I can't wait until I upgrade to a Dolby Digital receiver 'cuz then the Take 5 system will really show its stuff! Overall, for the low cost of this speaker set, the sound is excellent. Home theater is definitely their strong suit but the music isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. The keys to peak performance are: 1) Allow a couple weeks for break in time, and 2) adjust the sub's crossover and room placement to eliminate the midrange gap. If you do those, you'll be very satisfied with this system. Enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

Checked out the Klipsch Quintet and a more expensive Paradigm setup

good sound from small speakers, definitely a bang for the buck

music is missing midrange

I have now owned these speakers for 2 months. my system right now consists of a yamaha RXV-795, Panansonic A120U, Panasonic superflat 32 and Energy C-6. Well i first auditioned these speakers i really loved them for movies, but i was a little unsure if i like them that much for music. The reason i bought them was because i found them at a good price and for the price you can't find anything better. I got then from this audiophile store in canada. www.audioshop.on.ca you get a good deal cause of the exchange rate. i got the e:xl-S12. The speakers sound great, big sound from a small package, the sub is amazing. The sub is definitly overkill for my small apt. the only problem i had with this package as with most small sub/sat packages is missing midrange for music. the small midrange was just working too hard to produce good midrange. Dissappointed in music reproduction i went ahead and purchased the Energy C-6 got them for a great price from the same store. i will talk about the C-6s in the C-6 review. Overall i will give the Takes a 4.5 cause for HT i give it a 5 and for music i give it a 4. My future plans are to return the Take 5 system and get the Energy AC-300 center and Energy RVSS surround, plus i am working on getting Parasound amp, maybe an HCA-1205A. If you want to purchase this system call marc at Audioshop (homepage address above) i got the whole package with 12 inch sub for 750 shipped. Coming soon review of my new speakers and amps

I have had my Take 5 system for about 6 months now. I use it for HT and casual listening in the bedroom. I have it hooked up to the entry level Panasonic DVD and Denon AVR-2700. Monster Cable throughout.
I have been happy with the HT end of the experience. I have been disappointed with the casual listening end of the experience. The "hole" that everyone mentions exists and is a serious issue. No amount of tweaking is going to change the inherit limitations of the speakers. The Take 5 speakers are a great value only if you are interested in HT. Music sounds good on this system, but it really drives me nuts. I think, for me, that the better solution would have been to wait until I could afford larger speakers and/or gone w/ a few larger speakers and then added as I could afford to.

3 1/2 stars for me.

I have spent the last 2 days tweeking and fiddling with my new peices wihich include Take 5 system with 8 inch sub, Yamaha 5150 receiver and a Toshiba dvd . I feel the sound is as good as I am going get my first impression was that the speakers were harsh in the midrange and after setting and resetting every possible control on the amp and speakers I switched the speaker impedence on the back of receiver to 4 to 8 ohm setting wow I am relieved, the harshness is gone I hope if any one is experiencing similar trouble this will help. Yes I like these better than the Bose. I have a few sets of am 5s and they sounded good to me 10 years ago but the take 5 seem to be more accurate and detailed.

Thanks for the Take 5 system, price and quality are increditable. At the first time when I heard the Take 5, I couldn't believe that the great sound came out from those small speakers. Right now I am using the Pionner 414 DVD player with Technics SA AX6 with DTS decoder. Playing great sound with DTS CD or DTS DVD. Otherwise, the setup of Take 5 is quite hard for me ( position ), I got 2 pairs of stand as well but need a lot of time to place it.Overall, increditable price with an increditable sound quality

Thanks for the Take 5 system, price and quality are increditable. At the first time when I heard the Take 5, I couldn't believe that the great sound came out from those small speakers. Right now I am using the Pionner 414 DVD player with Technics SA AX6 with DTS decoder. Playing great sound with DTS CD or DTS DVD. Otherwise, the setup of Take 5 is quite hard for me ( position ), I got 2 pairs of stand as well but need a lot of time to place it.Overall, increditable price with an increditable sound quality

i think some people want these speakers to defy the laws of physics.Lets face it.These speakers,so far,are the best under $1000 speakers you can get.So,please lets be reasonable and give these speakers what they deserve.

These are very good speakers. Now you can get the whole set for very very cheap. I think for $500 or so. The bass is very clean and isn't too boomy. Everything else is excellent. I restrained myself from buying them though. If you want to spend a little more, the perfect step up is the Pro Cinema system from Definitive. The Pro Cinema does everything better than Take 5, but costs about $1100 if you negociate. Otherwise, if you don't want to spend that much, these are for you. They blow away anything from Cambridge Sounds Works for sure.

I'd say the best place to order the Take 5 would be ARM Innovations in Maine. I got the Take 5 for $325 and the ES-8 sub for $210, a fantastic deal! For more info e-mail Tony of ARM Innovations at pfloor1@aol.com. Tony was very courteous and responded to my inquiries very promptly. My order was placed immediately and I received my package in 3 days.
I love my Take 5 speakers but if you prefer a warmer sound I suggest auditioning the Mirage AVS500, its the exact same set except it has a slightly larger tweeter and different cosmetics. To some the Take 5 may sound a bit bright, but I prefer speakers that way. With the AVS500 the highs sound a bit more laid back compared to the Take 5.

Both are excellent choices, especially considering their price and size. You can't go wrong with either one!

If you get the optional Megamounts ($25), there is a slight problem with the ball and socket joint, the thread seams a bit to short and I had problems with the speakers drooping over a period of time. To correct this I placed some rubber bands inside the ball and socket joint and now they are just fine.